Brothers Past and Present
by Danny Phantom SG-1
Summary: Beckett gets a letter from home and reflects on his life as a child and the hardships his family faced. He realizes that his life then was not so different as it is now...love is a universal concept.


**A/N: Another story by my friend, the queen of Beckett-y Atlantis stories. I will forward reviews to her and reply as she would. Have fun reading!**

Brothers, Past and Present

Carson flipped through the old pictures his Mom had sent with her letter from earth. He smiled as he came to a picture of his older brother Gavin. Gavin was a year older and had been his best friend when they were little. Carson blushed when he realized he had no shirt on in the picture. Turning the picture to the back he saw a note in Mum's careful handwriting, "Gavin (5) and Carson (4), best friends."

Gavin had a chubby face and sandy blond hair, and Carson remembered how his crystal blue eyes could flash sometimes when Carson started acting "like a babe." Carson had had brown hair as long as he could remember with a rather thin face and blue eyes similar to Gavin's, but of a deeper shade.

Gavin had eventually seemed to outgrow Carson and move on to spend his time reading books. Gavin had ceased to be the same friendly little boy and disliked being associated with anyone in the family. It must have been because of Da …

Shaking his head to dispel the thought, Carson picked up another picture and grinned when he saw it. It was a picture of Carson and his oldest brother, Cailan, at the beach near home. Cailan was eight year older than Carson, but he was never condescending like Gavin, his brother Kegan, or his sister, Shona.

In the picture Cailan was definitely telling him something. Carson sat back and tried to remember. Yes, it was the time when Cailan was 10 and Carson was four, and Cailan told him about some people who just liked being mean to others. Now it was clear:

"Cailan? Why are people mean to us because of Da? We didn't do anything wrong, did we?"

"Sometimes it makes people feel better about themselves. I'm not sure why. They think that we ought to be hiding in shame because of Da, or something, I guess. I know its hard to hear them say things like that, Carson, but we can't fight them back. It won't do any good."

"Like Kegan? He fights all the time."

"Don't be like Kegan, Carson. When Mum sees him fight, it makes her sad, and it isn't fun to make Mum sad." Cailan's blue eyes were serious but soft, as they always were.

"Is that why you don't fight?"

"That's why I try not to."

"I want to be like you, Cailan. You never make Mum sad if you can help it."

Dear, dear Cailan. Never could any young man ask for a better brother. And Carson should know! With four brothers, Cailan, Kegan, Gavin, and Ewan, who was 6 years younger, he certainly knew a lot about them.

The Beckett family was large, seven kids altogether: Cailan, Shona (6 years older), Kegan (3 years older), Gavin, Carson, Keavy (2 years younger), and Ewan, the house was always cluttered and noisy. Mum was the most wonderful, caring woman that Carson had ever known, and she had a lot to put up with. Carson's Da was abusive to his wife and children, and had always been the cause of tension in the background of any fun they were having.

Carson picked up Mum's letter again and read it slowly:

Dear Carson,

I hope you are well, child. Cailan's boys were just over here a couple of minutes ago, and little Carson Ross is becoming more like you everyday. Cailan could not have had a better name for the lad. I know you prefer me calling him Ross, but he looks so much like you that I call him Carson automatically. Little Gerry's grown too. I love being a Grandmother.

I know you are being safe for my sake, but I worry about you, my heather-of-the-Highlands. You've been gone so long, and I miss you so.

Thought I would let you know my feet are doing better, since I know you would ask if I could see you.

Ewan is still the family jokester, and he is still my babe despite being twenty-five years old. Where have the years gone? I mentioned his jokes because last week he took Ross on his lap and told him a story about how Uncle Carson had flown away on an elephant and traveled to a galaxy far, far away. Now, no matter what I tell Ross he believes you are on another planet. But those boys certainly miss their uncle and godfather.

Keavy sends her love to her favorite brother, and Cailan and Ewan do too. How in the world does one son become the favorite brother of three? You're just too loveable, Carson. Kegan, Gavin, and Shona send their love too, without the favorite brother part. Though you are still number one to 50 of them.

I suppose I should give this section up to your nieces and nevys, but I already told you how Ross and Gerry are doing. Cailan's little Maura is practically grown up, and she's eleven. Sweet child, a lot like Cailan. Then Shona's Pádraig and Trevor are doing well. Pádraig is ten and is the neighborhood terror. Shona refuses to believe she was ever like that. She wishes. Trevor is now seven and has his own menagerie. Needless to say, he and Gerry are quite close. Then there's Gavin's shy little Lillias who just turned four, and is absolutely adorable.

I hope you think of us as often as we think of you. I know that being among the tribes in Africa can be dangerous, but be careful. And when you come home bring your friends John, Rodney, Elizabeth, Radek, Teyla, and Ronan. I'd love to meet them.

Love,

Mum

Carson smiled unabashedly. His Mum was such an incredible woman, and yet he always felt guilty about his "Africa" cover-up. Some day she would see right through it.

He sighed quietly and wished he played a more intimate role in the lives of his nieces and nevys. They were all dear little buggers from eleven-year old Maura to four-year-olds Lillias and Ross. Though he did enjoy the pictures of them that Mum had sent.

Suddenly a hand swooped down and grabbed the picture and letter. Carson looked up in dismay to see John Sheppard burst out laughing at a picture of Carson trying to urge forward a large rocking horse with his little two-year-old frame. Making a snatch at the pile in John's hands, Carson tripped over John's outstretched foot and groaned as John read the letter.

"Are you in here just to torment me? 'Cause it's working," Carson said in a flustered tone.

"Naw, just wanted to see what you were up to. How many siblings do you have? And I didn't know you were an uncle." John said with a smirk and eyes still on the letter.

"I have four brothers, two sisters, and you never asked." Carson responded rolling his eyes slightly.

"What's this whole 'heather-of-the-Highlands' deal?" John asked as he handed the letter back.

"It's Mum's nickname for me," Carson began, face flushing with embarrassment. "We never had much money, so one year there was only enough money to buy Keavy and Ewan a present, so Mum came up with meaningful nicknames for the rest of us older ones. That was my name."

"What does it mean?"

"Well, Mum said that heather is a beautiful plant that is extremely hardy, and if pulled up and dropped it will reinsert its roots. It also has healing properties, and is not poisonous to any creature. It appears to have no defenses, but it is resilient and grows up in tough terrain."

"So, applying to you, it means?"

Carson turned redder, because he didn't like sounding like he was bragging, "Well, although I grew up in not great conditions I thrived, and when pulled up by the roots by tough times, I replanted myself. I nae like ta hurt people, but like to heal."

John grinned, "I think I like your mom. She seems very wise."

"Aye. So is the questioning session over?"

"Yep!" John said. I actually came up here to cordially invite you to a briefing for the exploration of a planet. Your coming along, so you should be at the briefing."

Carson groaned but lay down his letter and pictures, "Lead the way, Kirk."

John stared at him, surprised, "Not you too … Scotty," he added with a sudden smirk.

Throughout the briefing Carson was fitting his colleagues into the characters of his own brothers and sisters. John was like Cailan, the oldest, always in control, always protecting. Elizabeth was like Shona, older and able to protect or be defended by her brothers. Ronan was a lot like Kegan, kicking out at people before and asking questions later. Rodney was like Gavin: not much older, but continually bragging about it, smart and quick, but decidedly snappy. Teyla was like Keavy, the little sister that he wanted to protect but didn't really need protecting. Lastly, Evan Lorne reminded him of Ewan, the baby of the family and the jokester and prankster.

Suddenly Shona was looking down at him, "Carson," she asked, "Are you with us?"

"Well, I'm not against you," he answered, eyebrows raising.

The laughter around the table brought him back, and he blushed deep red as Elizabeth, or Shona, as his mind had thought, looked at him questioningly.

**An odd place to stop in my opinion, but that's not what counts. Your opinion is what counts. Let us know how you like this rendition of Beckett's family life and how he will look back on it. Secrets will be revealed and I have a feeling Rodney will be key later in this story. Please review! Thank you.**


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